Combination folding suitcase.



F. S. BROOK. COMBINATION FOLDlNG SUITCASE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3.1918.

Patented Feb. U, 1919.

BAY/er Wz'fuesse X FOSTER s. BROOK, or WIGHITA, KANSAS.

, COMBINATION FOLDING SUITCASE.

Application filed July 3, 1918. Serial No. 243,185.

To all whom it map/concern:

Be it known that I, FOSTER S. BROOK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wichita, in the county of Sedgwick and State of Kansas, have invented certain. new and useful Improvements in Combination Folding Suitcases, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to furniture, and more especially to tables having a sectional top; and the object of the same is to provide a knock-down table which may be converted into a suit case or receptacle for dishes and other small articles, as well as containing the legs which are employed when the device is used as a table. The structure is particularly designed for military men at the front, for automobilists, and the like.

An object of the invention is to produce a structure which when setup as a table may be of full size or half size, according as one or both of the panels are employed.

Other objects will appear in the following specification and claims, and reference is -made to the drawings, wherein 1 Figure 1 is a sectional view of the structure serving as a suit case,

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the structure serving as a table taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 3 is a of Fig. 2, a

Fig. 4 is aplan view of the frame,

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of one top panel,

Fig. 6 is a perspective detail of one corner of thev frame and its casting. I

Broadly speaking this device comprises a frame, two top panels whereof each is the same size as the frame, a set of legs, and .means for connecting the parts. I do not wish to be limited tov proportions and materials, but by preference the frame is a wooden structure and the panels also may be of wood and preferably lighter than that employed in the, frame; whereas the legs may be pipes or rods, and the remaining or hardware elements are of metal.

The frame is made up of a top strip 1, a bottom strip 2, and two end strips 3, and in Fig. 6 is shown a form of casting which I preferably employ for connecting the strips at the corners of the frame. It has a quadrant shaped body 4 with a fin 5 projecting from its angle and intended to stand besimilar section on line 33 vided on its outer facewith a handle 10, on

its inner face opposite said handle are two pivoted hooks 11, near its ends and adjacent its lower edge as seen in Fig. 2 are two other pivoted hooks 12, and just above them are two more pivoted hooks 13, each having a pin 14 on its bill which projects through an arcuate slot 15 in the strip 1, as best seen in Figs. 1 and 4, so that this hook can be swung on its pivot from the outside of the strip. The bottom strip 2 has escutcheon plates 16 inset into its inner face at four points directly opposite the bills of the four hooks 12 and 13. Each end stripcarries a hook 17 at about its mid-length. The hooks 11 and 17 are for holding on the cover or table top panels, and I have preferably made them larger in the drawings in order that they may be distinguished from the others, although of course this is not absolutely necessary.

- The legs 20 are four in number and may be short sections of rods or pipes, or perhaps might be of wood. -When in use as seen in Figs. 2 and 3 their upper-ends are passed upward through the holes in the lower shelf 7 and a corresponding hole (not shown) in the shelf above, so that they-are mounted in the casting within the corner of the frame, and the set screw 9 istightened up to hold them in place as best seen inflFig. A

3. When not in use these legs may be stored away by disposing them obliquely "within the frame 4 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, for which purpose each end stripis provided with a recess 19 as indicated. Thelegs should be of such size that when so 21 are duplicates,

Each has across its lower face iron so as'to strengthen the panel and one end of each c-leat has a projection or hook 23 adapted to enter the:.op.ening1in:one--of the escutcheon plates 16, while the other end 5 of the cleat has an eye Mada ted tO he-engaged by the bill of a hook. Just inside of th :rlate W 1 eadiaee to edge 10f ell-he panel 21 is a pair of eyes25and centrally disposed adjacent the other edge of the panel is a; single eye 2 7 In setti 1 1 g' 1p1,th is device as a suit case, th 'f-fr m i steed redge eeeen i 2 en o "p ne 2 i br ugh up: against i $ifi tth ijhe k i2 a th lo e e d i h i'e e t ibe hg fih er el int 1 Pai o 'BSCI iiEChBOII plates "16; ;then the npper edge hi ,p nelis sw ng inw r ndxthi Sid f' i em is ie ese and lvfin ly h t orete m h throug .th .y i ope epp t i e h if em and ing t e h ok '12 so-that'theirbills engagethe eyesZl as hther g hofFig-i f' 0W theeppe t or "left! hand gpanel I is bronght iinto -.PO'Si. ion at the-other 'sidego f I the frame, the hooks123 of its "cleats, similarly. engaged :with the re- 'maining pair of esc'utelieon plates, and its upper edg s-gt agains t "fra an ep 'ibyi m nipultih v h tim T1 e m h k 1. 1 theirbil engage the "eyes of "this pair of cleats. A heefieenteiner is' he 'p idee hsimuletih ;;a-s1iit case and in which anydesired, articles may be; stored and carried.

When the deyice'isto be ,used as a singleleaf table, --one panel- -21 asshown in 5 isi to -be connected with-the "frame 7 as shown f in Fig. 4. "If We assume "that the panel is =turnei1 rover to the left onto "the frame as seen, it-will=be' obvious that thehooks 23 on 40 the eleats can he engaged with the two "escutcheomplatesw, and thereafter the hooks "13 withiiitthejframe canbegengaged with the eyes 24-011 the cleats; and tliisis true -whether {the panel-'21 shown-is applied to 45 that --,edge of the "frame which carries the '-hooks:;13, -or*tothe other edge which carries -"'the".-hooks 112. The'legs are-then inserted into-the cornercas'tings' arid-itastend by setti g g'yup the-set screws- 9.

WVhen the deirice is to be used as ,,a 1 twoleaf table, both p an'els 21-;tnustbe employed anfd they are laid across andfastened ,to the .irame in a position at right angles to .that 'ogeupiefl by the single'panel inithe smaller table; just/described. Now 'the' cleats,22' pass 'outside the=side-strips--'-1 and;2 of the frame easefiseenin 'Fig. 3, and therefore the fastening-idevieesiwhieh co-act with thehook" 17 in -the enii of theframe and its two,, remaining 60 eyes 25 come into position to be engaged By a pairqdflhooks ll;the-engagement ofjcourse leeing efi eeted by reaohing ==up under the *jfrarhe in a manrier whieh-wilY-beclear. "The legs'ane applied lastandthe table set up.

GBKT 'hus, Whater-ergthe use-of the dey'ice, j the cleats are'highly essential toward strengthening the top panels which may be of rather 'lightistoeknand (for serving as means for holding the panels in place, or for prevent- -ing --them froin slipping when they are hooked in place. All fastening devices are 'onztheainner faces of the panels arrdihe strips and ,the last hooks to be swung into engagement withthe eyes 24 have the proieeting P ethe theytee hea w t frointhe exterior. "These-,rpinsf hypreference projectthrongh two arcnate, slotsjl5 the strip 1 v ,.0ff 1 the frame so that when ,the snit case is carried around by its handle 10 the .pins will (Hot ,-contact with the greliild {or teth r support and the possibility that the hooks will he accidentally dis engagedff rom :the eyes is ereduced to a minin nm The foregoing. description a-nd 1 the drawingshave reiierence to whatrmayi he consid ered the preferred, or i-approi'eid for n of myinvention. 'jItisto The understooldithat make such :changes in een fhetie 1 and arr ngemen an e ihe e h Pa t v.s sl strip wh nvth l a e es hpie neeedie the 'frame 1n para; elism therewith, and

means for fastenihg il e panel to the fr game in either position In. et ble, he e mb ne i n W h iit .e ree ehgllle ente rkth egs, e p =panel of the same size as the frame; ilof a .pei e c eats seeured her e h befitem f '"the panel and spaced ,to pass outside the s de St p .e h i fm wh th ,n s an a righ .eh le in eii heme; h ve e ei i eh th tee i l ifd sa side Stripe whe ith ipeh e-e pe pe e ie f am K p r leliem h th, i mean e15 th -ex re i i e o t eet fei feetening thepanel to the frame in the last-nained p e en; nd th m e fl e 'ff et nin th panel toithefran e in;the. first;narne d posi- "tion.

{In a table,'ithe {combination with a r 1 t e n le e t h ith l see a ,top panel of the same-sizeas theifrarne; of

,a a pair of oleats'gsecure'd across thefbotto n of the'panel and spaced to; pass'o ltside the' si'de strips of thegframe when the panel stands at angles to said frame, the cle ats heing, of a length to -pass inside said side strips when the panel is superposed on the frame in parallelism therewith, means at the extremities of the cleats for fastening the panel to the frame in the last-named position, and hooks and eyes within the frame and in the under side of the panel for fastening the latter to the frame in the first-named position.

4. In a table, the combination with a frame whereof one side strip has a pair of escutcheon plates inset in its inner face, a pair of hooks pivoted within the opposite pair of plates, and the legs; of a top panel, a pair of cleats secured to the under side of the frame and having hooks at one extremity and eyes at the other for respective engagement with said escutcheons and hooks of the frame.

5. In a convertible structure of the class described, the combination with a frame whereof one side strip has an arcuate slot near one edge, a hook pivoted within said strip and having a pin on its bill projecting through said slot, a hook pivoted within the strip near its opposite edge, and escutcheon plates carried by the lnner face of the opposite side strips; of a pair of panels of the same size as the frame, and a cleat across the inner face of each panel and having a hook at one extremity for engaging one of said vescutcheon lates and an eye at the other extremity for engagement the bill of one of said hooks, for the purpose set forth.

6. In a convertible structure, the combination with a frame made up of a pair of side strips and a pair of end strips; of a quadrant casting in each corner of the frame comprising a hollow body with upper and lower shelves, the latter being perforated, a set screw through this shelf into said perforation, and a fin at the angle of the quadrant standing between the con tiguous ends of the adjacent strips, means for fastening the quadrant to said strips, and a removable leg insertible through said perforation beneath the set screw.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FOSTER S. BROOK.

Witnesses GEO. CHARLTON, T. M. Voss.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for iive cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0." 

